A field experiment of simulated acid rain(SAR)was conducted in a mixed conifer and broadleaf forest(MF)at Dinghushan Nature Reserve. SAR treatments included CK(the local lake water, pH 4.5), T1(pH 4.0), T2(pH 3.25), and T3(pH 2.5)with four replicates. SAR experiments were initiated in January 2011, and the litter CO2 emission rate under SAR was measured twice a month over one year from January 2013 to December 2013. The results indicated that litter CO2 emission followed a clear seasonal pattern in the forest during the study period, with significantly higher rates in the wet season and lower rates in the dry one(P<0.05). The mean annual litter CO2 emission in the CK plots was(1 507.41±155.19)g CO2·m-2·a-1, to which the wet season and the dry season contributed 68.7% and 31.3%, respectively. SAR significantly reduced litter CO2 emission in the forest(P<0.05). Compared with CK, mean annual litter CO2 emission was 15.4% and 42.7% lower in T2 and T3 treatments, respectively. SAR reducing litter CO2 emission had seasonal differences, and these negative effects were evident in the wet season(P<0.05), but not in the dry one. In all treatments, litter CO2 emission rate exhibited significantly positive exponential relationships with soil temperature and significantly positive linear relationships with soil moisture. In addition, the mean temperature sensitivity(Q10)values showed a declining trend with the increasing level of SAR. The depression of litter CO2 emission after SAR in the MF was related to the aggravation of soil acidification and the depression of microbial activity, as we found that soil pH value and soil microbial biomass C significantly decreased under SAR. In conclusion, our results supported an important role of acid rain in regulating soil carbon cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]